Tag Archives: Red Sox third base problems

Unlike the rival Yankees, the Red Sox did not make a splash on baseball’s trade deadline earlier in the week. Contrary to the opinion of a few, that was a good thing. Instead of a big splash, Dave Dombrowski slowly worked his way into the pool and it has paid instant dividends. With the spark from Rafael Devers and Eduardo Nuñez acclimating so well, the Red Sox may have plugged up their holes.

The weakest part of the Red Sox was clearly third base. Between Pablo Sandoval, Deven Marrero, and Tzu Wei Lin brought a lack of continuity and consistent offensive production. With Xander Bogaerts’ abysmal play the last month added on top, a utility guy was needed. Dombrowski dumped a few C-rate prospects to San Francisco to acquire Eduardo Nuñez. After about a week, this has been an excellent deal.

Nuñez has come across the country, switched leagues, and has absolutely flourished. As of August 3rd, Nuñez is 11 for 22 with four doubles, two homers and nine RBI. On top of that, he has already provided some clutch plays for the Red Sox. He even won the Sox a game on a groundout. As of right now, the man can do no wrong.

Coming in as a .300 hitter before the deal, Nuñez has been having a career year. He’s also a guy who can play third base, second, and shortstop. With Dustin Pedroia now on the DL and the mighty struggles of Bogaerts, his versatility is crucial. Although he came from the Giants, he is not foreign to the American League. In fact, he’s pretty familiar with the AL East. He played his first four seasons from 2010-13 backing up Derek Jeter in New York and before this year he had only played in the AL. A learning curve of switching leagues is overrated but Nuñez has had no such problem.

Nuñez’s Impact Goes Beyond the Field

The impact Nuñez has already made on this team is already major. Even if he hits .200 the rest of the year, he may have already saved their season. He and Devers have already made an impact that transcends the field. They have woke the Red Sox up. This team was in absolute shambles before the deal was done. Since then, the hope is back. In fact, when those guys both have multi-hit games, the Red Sox have been 4-0.

So no, there was no splash made at the trade deadline. They added nice pieces in Nuñez and Addison Reed. Unlike Houston or New York, the Red Sox didn’t need to make this huge deal. They are a team built for the postseason and Nuñez just adds to that depth and can help revive their offense. It’s now up to the Red Sox to keep this going.

With the Red Sox off to a disappointing start, Dave Dombrowski and his disciples are desperately scrambling for some Flex Seal to cover the holes of a sinking ship. The two major holes are on the corner infield as well as another starting pitcher. The Red Sox’s recent trip to scout the White Sox seemed like it could cover all those problems. The result of the trip? Swirling rumors of a Todd Frazier trade.

The lack of production at third base has been no small story for the Red Sox the last few years. The problem has grown tremendously this season. Pablo Sandoval has missed the last month with a knee injury and was underachieving before his DL stint. So yeah, the Red Sox need help at third, but is Todd Frazier the answer for this issue?

Frazier’s 2017 hasn’t been stellar by any means, either. The two-time All Star is below the Mendoza line, hitting .195 with only four homers and 17 RBI. Not one to hit for average, he only hit .225 in 2016 but mashed 40 homers. He is a dead pull hitter which would obviously be extremely favorable playing at Fenway Park. His numbers this year, however, aren’t much further off than Sandoval’s and Frazier has played the whole year.

Most Red Sox fans reasonably thought the scouts were going to Chicago to see starter Jose Quintana. Quintana has been Chicago’s ace this year and the White Sox haven’t been shy about putting him on the trading block. The problem with that would be the price. The Red Sox are desperate for a starter and everyone knows it so the price will sky-rocket. With all the prospects Boston has given up over the last two seasons, that may be near impossible at this juncture.

So we move back to Frazier. The price for him should be astronomically less even though they are desperate for a third baseman as well. Frazier has almost no value to any other contender. With the White Sox about to blow things up after a 20-22 start, they’ll be looking to get Frazier off their hands and eat up most of his salary.

That being said, this might not actually be a terrible deal. Look, Frazier isn’t gonna hit .300 or even .250 probably, but he has some value. He is an every day player who can play both first and third. With Hanley Ramirez’s nagging injury, that can finally allow Mitch Moreland the occasional day off. He will also bring some power to a lineup that has absolutely none right now. With no pop coming from Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts, or Dustin Pedroia right now, that could be crucial.

Next year, Rafael Devers and possibly Sam Travis will be ready to go at those positions. For now, they’re desperate. If they can get Frazier at a nice price without giving up high-end prospects, this could be alright. I’m not exactly ecstatic about this, but the Red Sox need something right now. In the end, like any of these deals, it needs to be the right price. Dave Dombrowski never overpays, right? Right?